Cacey Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 I'm an average side guy - or use to be, weighed 89 kg's and 184cm tall, was at the gym every day and and lived fairly heathy. On one good day I decided to test my colestrol and to my shock the results can in at 11.4. Obviously thought this was wrong ang went for a second test wich confirmed the results and was on medication faster than the no I get every time I ask my wife if I can buy a new MTB. Years later after 2 back ops I was able to ride a bike again, lost 10kg's in the proses and on my last test I was down to 4.5 - and I've been off my meds for 2 years before that test. So the question remains - will my levels climb again if I stop cycling. Most probably and that keeps me going!
HowardSteele Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 i suffer from the inherited cholesterol curse..I find i can't control mine with diet and exercise alone and need to supplement my regime with meds.when first diagnosed i was put on Statins..they certainly work and keep the levels way down..after about 15 years of taking statins ..I started suffering from muscle fatigue a common side effect ...up to this point I had been mntbiking the Tokai trails and silvermine loop around 4-5 times a week suddenly i was battling to ride from home to the entrance gate .So i'm off the statins ,The over counter meds Rychol you can get from any chemist works but has become pricey.I now use Essetrol(yes its expensive but medical aid cover it on chronic) it is not as effective as Statins but with moderate diet control I can keep my cholesterol at under 6 I'm quite happy with a 5.5 reading.Most of the chemists charge around 50-75 bucks for the test..and i do so once a month.(this is just my personal experience with raised cholesterol levels you should follow your advice from your Dr if you don't think his advice is sound go to another Dr)
johannrissik Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Is there a reason you're having your cholesterol levels tested? And worrying about the results? (Serious question)
Max Headroom Posted November 22, 2015 Posted November 22, 2015 Have you ever thought that maybe, just *maybe*, the hub is full of doctors, engineers, lawyers as well as other professionals who know a shartload more than ppl may think they do? What made you think I am not a doctor ? Fortunately all the emails here start with ; Hi I am a doctor, and have been practicing medicine for 30 years and so far all the studies on cholesterol and the effects of exercise or diet is blah blah or regarding diet, particularly the high fat diet (saturated animal fat) has shown that it it soooo good for you for you.. blah blah...and anyway, there has never been proof that cholesterol is bad for you, so why you stressing blah blah IMHO ...There is a difference between giving 'uninformed' advise on what the best tubeless sealant is, and giving unqualified medical advice....saying ..best thing ever is a high fat diet....when you have not seen or examined and have no knowledge of the the rider/patient, and how seriously they will follow your advice. In the one case bad advise would result in limited puncture protection, and in the second case somebody might croak. not trying to start an argument here ... just saying unless you indicate your qualification, if relevant to the subject, the random advice on the most important thing in your life ever, should be taken with a pinch of salt.Everyone would like a second opinion on something tricky, but don't expect general comments on your health to be a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. There are some good replies and comments imo on personal and family experience - but readers should be wary of getting an answer here on some critical subjects - just saying. General discussion and sharing is not the same as advice from a certified professional (who should generally know that they need to indicate why their opinion is trustworthy, in order to be credible) But this is a discussion forum - so go for it
eccc whippet Posted March 2, 2017 Author Posted March 2, 2017 back here again...a little lighter... fitter...older (50+) and 12000 + km recorded on strava later...hr still banging on the rev limiter at 190+ bpm...decided to stop taking meds back then. cholesterol total - 5.9 (high)c less than before triglycerides - 0.8 (normal) hdl cholesterol - 1.4 (normal) ldl cholesterol - 4.4 (high) less than before i have collected the script for the meds as it has become a family issue...but i still dont believe pills are the the only cure. from never having a blood pressure problem to recently having dizziness and light headed feeling when standing up...to find i had low blood pressure...today back to normal. dizziness stopped while i wasnt cycling for 3 weeks...started again this week after i started riding on Saturday (taking it easy)
Dullscalpel Posted March 4, 2017 Posted March 4, 2017 back here again...a little lighter... fitter...older (50+) and 12000 + km recorded on strava later...hr still banging on the rev limiter at 190+ bpm...decided to stop taking meds back then. cholesterol total - 5.9 (high)c less than beforetriglycerides - 0.8 (normal) hdl cholesterol - 1.4 (normal) ldl cholesterol - 4.4 (high) less than beforei have collected the script for the meds as it has become a family issue...but i still dont believe pills are the the only cure.from never having a blood pressure problem to recently having dizziness and light headed feeling when standing up...to find i had low blood pressure...today back to normal.dizziness stopped while i wasnt cycling for 3 weeks...started again this week after i started riding on Saturday (taking it easy) Read a book by Dr Michael Greger. It's called " How not to die". It will tell you how to get off the majority of your medications and not suffer from lots of different types of diseases. It is well researched and full of various studies that are well thought out and executed. However, all these studies require that you change your diet. The book explains how. Have a read and decide for yourself. I personally have found it to work for me and my family. Good luck!
eccc whippet Posted March 7, 2017 Author Posted March 7, 2017 Read a book by Dr Michael Greger. It's called " How not to die". It will tell you how to get off the majority of your medications and not suffer from lots of different types of diseases. It is well researched and full of various studies that are well thought out and executed. However, all these studies require that you change your diet. The book explains how. Have a read and decide for yourself. I personally have found it to work for me and my family.Good luck!it boils down to a plant based diet...vegan.
Dullscalpel Posted March 7, 2017 Posted March 7, 2017 it boils down to a plant based diet...vegan.Not necessarily vegan (in the book he says he doesn't promote vegetarian or vegan diets), but it suggests you cut back on meat products (processed and red meat mainly) and increase your veg intake (eat more greens).
eccc whippet Posted March 9, 2017 Author Posted March 9, 2017 found this rather interesting. http://deliciousliving.com/heart-health/6-natural-ways-boost-heart-health
Dullscalpel Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 found this rather interesting. http://deliciousliving.com/heart-health/6-natural-ways-boost-heart-healthvery interesting actually
eccc whippet Posted March 9, 2017 Author Posted March 9, 2017 got my bill for the visit and blood tests...just short of R 2000.00...i have requested a breakdown of the bill for the tests... could it be like the crutches...i was told if i put it through medical aid the cost for a set R2800...if i pay cash R1200...i wonder if they would give me the bill for R2800...i pay them R1200 and claim the full amount from my medical savings and put the balance in my own savings ...and we wonder why your savings disappears so quickly. Went to chemist to check cost to do blood sugar R 15 and cholesterol (full R 150).
Dullscalpel Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 got my bill for the visit and blood tests...just short of R 2000.00...i have requested a breakdown of the bill for the tests... could it be like the crutches...i was told if i put it through medical aid the cost for a set R2800...if i pay cash R1200...i wonder if they would give me the bill for R2800...i pay them R1200 and claim the full amount from my medical savings and put the balance in my own savings ...and we wonder why your savings disappears so quickly. Went to chemist to check cost to do blood sugar R 15 and cholesterol (full R 150).Was this part of a doctor's visit? If so, was the doctor a specialist?
eccc whippet Posted March 9, 2017 Author Posted March 9, 2017 Was this part of a doctor's visit? If so, was the doctor a specialist?including the gp visit R450...will wait for the blood test breakdown...which included some other tests like for prostate cancer.
lechatnoir Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 got my bill for the visit and blood tests...just short of R 2000.00...i have requested a breakdown of the bill for the tests... could it be like the crutches...i was told if i put it through medical aid the cost for a set R2800...if i pay cash R1200...i wonder if they would give me the bill for R2800...i pay them R1200 and claim the full amount from my medical savings and put the balance in my own savings ...and we wonder why your savings disappears so quickly. Went to chemist to check cost to do blood sugar R 15 and cholesterol (full R 150). Went to Pathcare a few weeks ago... if Disco plays, it's R1700, if I pay, R1200... If Disco pays, tests go to doc. Add another R400 for the visit... None of the Disco stuff comes out of my pocket, but you have to wonder...
Dullscalpel Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 including the gp visit R450...will wait for the blood test breakdown...which included some other tests like for prostate cancer.Yeah, some blood tests are more expensive than others. I wonder if it was the cancer screen... anyway, not nice to get big bills like that
taito Posted March 9, 2017 Posted March 9, 2017 I am a maargat,,around 65kgs and 50 y old I had the full test done and the bad cholestrl was around 5. Doctor wanted me on pills but I said no.I then cut out some of the junk foods..loved my Simba chips and slap chips, the score dropped to 4.5 but I am still sort of worried. I ride 4 to 5 times a week so fitness is no issue and I have been cycling for over 10 years. weet nie meer nie!!ok so this post was 2 years ago,,I have tried to cut out the bad stuff,total went from 7.2 down to 6.8 total.LDL dropped to 4.5.But I never took any pills, my weight still around 66. Having read about all the side effects of statins I will continue to watch what I eat. Having said that I am by no means not enjoying all the good stuff, just trying to watch the amounts of bad stuff
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